[Sca-cooks] Missing Artes Draconis

[Jakob Baker]

Had to sign on and quit lurking so I could mention the missing Artes Draconis Award Winning Cookery issue is alive. Thanks to Estrella and friendships made there, a group of us finally managed to obtain a copy of the unobtainable banned issue no one is supposed to now see! (We have been having great fun exchanging the downloaded .pdf within a group of interested people. We have been toying with the idea of printing copies off and making them available at events like Gulf Wars so anyone wanting a copy can have one. How many copies should we print? If you want one speak up!) 
Ok, we know the official story and the Midrealm Chronicler and the BoD would like everyone to think there were just "some 'issues' with that issue right now, so it's unavailable for distribution at this time".   
Minor problems and some issues? We've seen the actual issue! What happened in this case is the Chronicler, Editor and Special Editor (all the responsible in charge people) always intended this special issue to be an exact copy (the format, style, essential makeup. fonts and spacing, regular columns, etc.) of the excellent and well known Cooks Illustrated magazine! Hey, folks, how original or creative is it to exactly copy a respected modern culinary magazine, a well known trademarked and copyrighted commercial one with a legal team to boot? It was never a mistake either! It was always intentional! They set out to copy Cook's Illustrated! Was this ever a great idea? Did they ever stop and think 'this might not be a good idea?' Did the authors withdraw their articles? Did anyone say no? They plowed full steam ahead. They didn't care; they were so proud; they even bragged and blogged about their intentions! 
They even admit it in print in the issue. 
They actually state: "This issue is modeled after the modern cooking magazine, Cook’s Illustrated." Modeled? Come on, it was a rip-off from the start!
So, they ripped off Cooks Illustrated hook, line, sinker, bait, and fish! They put their version of the magazine up free on the web. They promoted the rip-off on various lists, Facebook pages, and blogs all over the world. Various authors with articles in the issue got on various other lists and promoted the work. This wholesale copying was then rewarded by the Society with kingdom awards and then last summer the Society bestowed the William Blackfox award on the issue and also "commended" it in the category of Best Layout and Design "for the best-looking newsletter. Awarded to the newsletter and the Chronicler." Plus a mention for "Cover Art! too!
Wait! They stole all the design elements and they got rewarded three times for this rip-off! The Editor, writers, and the Kingdom Chronicler then promoted the issue all over again while patting themselves with "big cheers" on the back and announcing how great they were! Don't believe us -- just Google Artes Draconis Cookery issue and see! It's all there!
Everything proceeds along until the folks at Cooks Illustrated noticed and demanded the SCA take down the issue and make it disappear. (Did they not think their ripoff would ever come to the notice of Cooks Illustrated? The web can be a small place.)
Can you say lawyers and litigation and threats? Can you say trademark and copyright infringement?
The solution: Make IT Disappear! Never speak about IT again! Hide what happened! Except nothing on the web truly disappears. There were copies out there! We found one!
What happened next is typical SCA!This was an official kingdom approved peers and apprentices of the realm project. Did all those OL/OP/Baroness/Countess folks who were so happy to claim credit for the issue ever own up to why the issue is gone? Not a word! It's a deepest dark secret and cannot be mentioned. We can talk about felony child abuse and embezzlement tangles, but we can't mention peers being caught ripping off a commercial magazine! Why not? Why is this issue being treated like child porn?
Have these chroniclers, editors, associate editors, and authors been punished or even shamed? Have they even lost their Blackfox awards? Some members have commented privately (hush, hush, in whispers) that had the publication been released with an AoA only editor, he or she would have been banished immediately with a revoked membership. Such behavior by a non-peer would never have been tolerated! 
Why is it the BoD covers up and silences activities like this one and doesn't make examples of the people involved? Possible litigation? Nasty legal take down notices? Do they mean anything? What would be wrong with banishing all of them --- authors, editors, chroniclers included--- for the next year or even forever? How many rules and laws did they break? Why was wholesale copying ever rewarded?
Why doesn't the Board say something? Why can't we talk openly about this matter? Why isn't this being used as an example as what not to do?
So ask yourselves when your dues once again increase to pay for more expensive insurance and more legal help, why the Society continues to tolerate such activities and stupid errors?  Who put the entire Society in jeopardy? Ask yourselves why are these people still members in good standing? Hush, hush, we can't talk about it or tell anyone these peers screwed up! Hush, hush, indeed!
Excuse me, again what were they thinking? Why aren't they at least embarrassed? Where are the apologies?
Jakob (returning to lurking mode) Baker and Brewer
 




 		 	   		  
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